Two stone plaques placed in the square in front of the cathedral of Reims commemorate the reconciliation between Germany and France, which was officially sanctioned on June 8th 1962 when Germany’s chancellor Konrad Adenauer met with French president Charles De Gaulle. Up until a few months ago there was only one plaque, in French. An identical plaque in German was placed next to the first when Germany’s current chancellor, Angela Merkel, made a visit to Reims. I find it strange that, after so many years since the first plaque was laid, it was felt that a plaque in German should be added. This must be because in Europe today Germany is a very strong country, which holds considerable financial sway. In this case the positioning of the second plaque is also a monument, to a victor that somehow deserves to be honoured but which also needs to be reminded of its defeat.
Each plaque has been duplicated in slate slabs with exactly the same measurements. The two black monochrome monuments have been inscribed with only the accents that appear in the texts of the originals, a total of five for the French version and just one for the German version.